Free trees — 04/25/08

Sat, May 17 2008

— Arbor Day is one of those annual observances that many people overlook, not even knowing when the one day that celebrates trees is.
But in Ashland, Arbor Day — which is always on the last Friday in April — is not ignored. Instead, the Ashland Tree Board appropriately spends each Arbor Day giving away small seedlings that it hopes will eventually grow into mature trees.
Aided by students from Ashland Community and Technical College, members of the Tree Board will be in Central Park Friday giving away trees. Individuals who stop by the park any time between 12:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. can receive up to 10 trees free of charge. The distribution will resume at 9:30 a.m. Saturday and continue until all the trees have been given away. All members of the board ask is that the recipients plant the seedlings and nurture them to maturity.
On this Arbor Day, the Tree Board has approximately 8,000 trees to distribute: 500 bald cyprus, 500 loblolly pines, 1,000 white pines, 2,000 redbuds, 1,500 silky dogwoods, 500 wild plums, 750 various kinds of oak, 250 bur oaks, 500 persimmons, and 500 pecan trees. That’s quite a variety.
The annual tree giveaway began 14 years ago as a “green project” for students of ACTC ecology professor Charles Howes. For the first year, ACTC helped Howes purchase 500 trees from the Kentucky Division of Forestry. The project quickly caught on with the Ashland Tree Board assuming management of it with the city of Ashland and the Division of Forestry supplying the seedlings.
Of course, not all the trees given away Friday and Saturday will grow to maturity. A number of things can happen to a seedling to prevent is from taking root and growing into a healthy mature tree. But among the thousands of trees distributed to area residents in the last 14 years, we suspect there are hundreds — if not thousands — that are continuing to thrive and grow.
Arbor Day was founded in 1872 by J. Sterling Morton of Nebraska City, Neb. Morton had a passion for changing the landscape of the mostly barren Great Plains by planting trees. Largely because of him, tens of thousands of trees now thrive on the Great Plains.
In contrast to the Great Plains, there has never been a shortage of trees in this region. However, a healthy forest demands constant new growth. Through its annual observance of Arbor Day, the Ashland Tree Board is giving away trees that will benefit this community for generations to come.
Celebrating Arbor Day by planting trees — J. Sterling Morton would approve of what the Tree Board is doing.